Hanko Remembers the Epoch When Emigrants Traveled to America

A very interesting exhibit was presented before the summer season
in Hanko. People there have chosen to present the great American
emigration that occurred throughout the city at the turn of the
century.

On the floor of the Castle Museum in Hanko trunks used for the
trip to America were lined up. In the background is an enlarged
photo of F.Å.A.'s emigrant hotel on the boulevard and behind
it one can see inside a doctor's reception room where in 1903
medical examinations were carried out. Those traveling to the
New World had to be in good health. In another room one could
admire both tomatoes and oranges. Luxury articles such as this
were already available in Hanko before the turn of the century,
but they became more common after the second world war.

Between the years 1865 and 1930 about 400,000 Finns emigrated
to America. Foremost among those who traveled were people from
Ostrobothnia, and over 250,000 of the emigrants journeyed through
Hanko.

The exhibit blends facts, charts and pictures in an attractive
manner where one can experience the swarm of people who went through
the city during the great emigration. Before the emigrant hotel
was built, Hanko residents offered lodging consisting of a small
hammock with a stove to the emigrants in exchange for ample payment.
The market sold soup which could be heated on the stove.

In the beginning there was concurrence between the eleven boat
companies who sold tickets, but they began to fight among themselves
and used physical force in the competition for the emigrants'
business. Gradually the Finnish Steamship Co. received sole rights
to the Hanko-Hull route and passenger traffic, in addition to
the export of butter, went through them.

It was not cheap to emigrate. Tickets cost 2-3 month's pay, but
often it was paid by previous travelers to America who would alleviate
their homesickness by paying for a family to travel to America.

In the beginning of the 1900's F.Å.A. also advertised its
passenger line in Russia. As a result of disturbances after the
big strike of 1905, there was a rush for America among Russian
jews. Hanko was completely unprepared for this mass emigration
and there was great confusion when the people took over the city.
The emigrants were placed both in the market hall and in a yard
in Västerby where there was not an inch of floor space to
spare. The problem eased when F.Å.A. purchased the new home
of Sanfrid Friis at Nycanderinkatu 10. The Finnish emigrants would
not have anything to do with the Russians.

It was a relief when Finland's first icebreaker cleared the way
to Hanko so traffic could be maintained year-round. The steamer
Express was Finland's first winter steamer and in 1877 opened
traffic between Hanko and Stockholm. There was room for no more
than 30 passengers, but over 100 crowded on.

Birgitta Ekström and archivist Marketta Wall have put together
a living history about an important epoch in the city's history.